Comments and questions on 3.5 from a Newbie

[Edena_of_Neith]

I bought Magic of Incarnum when I bought the PHB and DMG. Will study it and post here after finishing the PHB and DMG.
3d6 acid damage, ranged touch attack, 1st level, usable every round?
And they said magic was nerfed in 3.5. LOLOL.

Cover is wonderful. Too bad it's so rarely available.
+ 4 to AC for being in melee? Ok. But still, no armor or shield bonus. You're trying to keep the ogre from bashing your head in AND trying to avoid the ranged touch attack of the enemy warlock. Nice ...

The fact an archer can now fire into melee is a MASSIVE strengthening of the fighter, and even more of the ranger, over 1E and 2E.
The Precise Shot Feat makes this strengthening even more extraordinary. No AOO against you either! You really CAN be a Legolas, now, in 3.5.

 

[Staffan]

Double Weapons: count as two weapons for purposes of penalties: you strike with both ends of the weapon. Can be used in two hands: only one end can be used to hit.

The advantage of double weapons is that you can decide from round to round whether to treat it as one two-handed weapon or as a onehanded/light weapon combo. That means that if you're prevented from making a full attack (such as when moving), you will get the 1.5x Str bonus to damage on the one attack you do make.

Thrown Weapons: Strength Bonus applies to Attack Roll and Damage Roll.

Thrown weapons are ranged attacks, and thus use Dex instead of Str on attack rolls (note that most character sheets have one box for melee attack and one for ranged attack). I think I've seen a feat somewhere that lets you use Strength on thrown weapons, though (could be a regional feat in Player's Guide to Faerûn).

Ammunition: Arrows are drawn as a Free Action. Bolts and Sling Bullets require a Standard Action.

Not quite. Reloading a light crossbow or sling (including readying ammo) is a move action. Reloading a heavy crossbow is a full-round action.

For Thrown Weapons (NOT thrown melee weapons) how many can you throw in a round?

If you have the Quickdraw feat, as many as you have attacks (and you can use rapid shot). If you don't, only one because you need to take a move action to ready another.

For Thrown Melee Weapons, can you apply your Strength Bonus to damage?

Yes.

For Projectile Weapons, can you apply your Strength Bonus to the Attack roll?

No.

For Composite Bows modified for Strength, can you apply your Strength Bonus to both the Attack and Damage rolls?

Damage only.

Can a Crossbow be built for Strength, and thus gain the bonuses of a Composite Bow?

No. I've seen people use that as a house-rule, though.

Light Weapons: (QUESTION: What about Strength Bonus to Attack Rolls?)

Strength bonus to melee attacks is always full Strength bonus, regardless of the weapon's designation. The only exception is if you have the Weapon Finesse feat, in which case you can use Dex instead of Str with light weapons as well as certain other specified weapons (from the core rules: rapiers, spiked chains, and whips).

Human wielding Tiny longsword (Sized Diminutive) : - 4 penalty to Attack (damage is as per the Tiny longsword)

Once you go below Light (or above Two-handed), the weapon is basically unusable.

 

[Staffan]

Was THAC0 really that confusing? We didn't use it in 1e and I skipped 2e so maybe I'm not remembering right. But if for example you have THAC0 of 13 and you just subtract the AC score from that, ie AC 10 is hit on 3 and a -5 is hit on a 18. Or am I mis-remembering THAC0?

Back when I was playing 2e, I had sheets with room for adjusted THAC0 on the weapons list (subtract stat bonuses, specialization/focus, and magic bonuses - a 5th level fighter (base THAC0 16) wielding a weapon he's specialized in (+1) and having +1 to hit from Str 17 and a +2 weapon would note it as THAC0 12 in the weapon list). Then the players could just roll THAC0-d20, and that would be the lowest AC they hit.

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

Bull rush and Overrun: the short version

Bull rush: put your shoulder down and knock the sucker back.
Overrun: really, what it sounds like. Just launch yourself right through the guy, and if he puts up a fight, you're liable to knock him to the ground and leave a bootprint on his chest.

In both cases, the opponent can try to whack you with an attack of opportunity to annoy you as you careen into him. In both cases it's a contest of who is stronger (although in Overrun they can try to win using Dexterity instead of Strength). In both cases people with extra stability (dwarves, quadropeds, etc.) have a better chance of stopping you.

 

[MerricB]

I bought Magic of Incarnum when I bought the PHB and DMG. Will study it and post here after finishing the PHB and DMG.
3d6 acid damage, ranged touch attack, 1st level, usable every round?

It takes a feat, and only has a range of 30 feet, but it works.

Cover is wonderful. Too bad it's so rarely available.

It happens quite a lot when you've got a friend in melee with the enemy...

You really CAN be a Legolas, now, in 3.5.

One of the designers recently noted that Legolas was a great inspirations for feats that came up in 3.5e. Especially Manyshot, I guess.

Cheers!

 

[Lonely Tylenol]

The advantage of double weapons is that you can decide from round to round whether to treat it as one two-handed weapon or as a onehanded/light weapon combo. That means that if you're prevented from making a full attack (such as when moving), you will get the 1.5x Str bonus to damage on the one attack you do make.

There are other advantages to double weapons. The exotic ones like the double sword usually do damage as though you were fighting with two one-handed weapons, without the penalties involved in fighting with two one-handed weapons (double weapons count as a one-handed weapon and a light weapon when fighting as though using two weapons). As well, if you take Weapon Focus or Weapon Specialization for a double weapon, you get the bonuses to hit and damage on either or both ends of the weapon.

 

[Staffan]

Attack (melee) : A good idea, when someone's trying to kill you, to try to kill them.

Been watching Firefly, have we?

Aid another: If you insist on kneeling down to save a comrade, that ogre standing over you is going to whap you. But that's better than your comrade dying, if you aren't killed ...

You're thinking of the First Aid action (or Heal, or whatever it's called). Aid Another is basically trying to get the opponent into a position where an ally can get a bonus against him (or the opponent get a penalty to attack your ally).

Bull rush: Still puzzling over this one.

Tackling, basically. You're trying to push someone from the spot they're standing in to somewhere else. It has a somewhat limited use - mostly if an opponent is in a precarious position already (e.g. on the edge of a cliff) or if you're trying to break down an enemy line (e.g. a bunch of fighters protecting a wizard).

QUESTION: What, if anything, else can the mage do while concentrating?

Well, concentrating takes a standard action. So, the caster can still do things that require move actions only. Some actions, and notably some things that can happen to the caster, may require Concentration checks.

Dismiss a spell: Obvious, this one.

Note that you can only dismiss spells specifically called out as dismissable (by having a D in their duration).

Draw a hidden weapon: Still puzzling over this one.

You can use the Sleight of Hand skill to hide a weapon on you. Such weapons are by necessity less easily available than a weapon on your belt, so they're a little harder to draw.

Feint: Still puzzling that out. A new action, it seems. Never heard of feinting in 2E or 1E.

Basically, you make a Bluff check against your opponent's Sense Motive + BAB. If you succeed, your opponent is denied Dex bonus against the next attack you do (which leaves him open for sneak attacks).

Sunder an object worn/carried: Yes, he gets an AOO. But you can mess him up really bad, if you sunder something like a Girdle of Strength (yeah, I know, only + 5 in 3rd Edition, but still ...)

+4 or +6, actually.

Use Spell-like ability: Ok, they get AOOs here. So why not with supernatural and extraordinary abilities? Spell-like abilities must take more time and concentration, while supernatural and extraordinary abilities come without thinking about it, instantaneously. My guess.

Pretty much, yeah.

Sheath a weapon: This one surprises me, that they are allowed an AOO.

Sheathing a weapon is a little more involved than drawing one.

Drop to the floor: Not so obvious. No AOO when your foe is right in front of you, and you drop to the floor?

He gets that when you try to stand up later.

Disarm: Studying this one. There were no rules for disarm that I remember from earlier editions.

There were in Complete Fighter's Handbook and Combat & Tactics.

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

Your situation goes from Bad to Worse

You are:

Dazzled: Attack Roll Penalty - 1, Ranged Attack Roll Penalty - 1
Shaken or Frightened: ARP - 2, - 2
Entangled: ARP - 2, RARP - 2 (- 4 to Dexterity for you in addition.)
Prone: ARP - 4, RARP You can't do this at all most of the time (crossbows are useful, for once, here)
Squeezing Through a Space: - 4 ARP, - 4 RARP

Frodo in Torich Ungol in Film: Shaken/Frightened - 2, - 2. Entangled - 2, - 2. Squeezing through Spaces: - 4, - 4.
Frodo's penalties from these alone: - 4, - 4 to - 8, - 8 when squeezing. - 4 to Dexterity.

Flanking: + 2 / -
Invisible: + 2 / + 2 (and defender loses all Dexterity bonuses)
On higher ground: + 1 / + 1

So Shelob gains + 2 for Flanking (she frequently attempted it), + 1 for Higher Ground (she attempted that constantly) for a + 3 bonus.

I wonder if Shelob being directly above Frodo counted as Invisibility?

 

[sniffles]

Flanking: + 2 / -
Invisible: + 2 / + 2 (and defender loses all Dexterity bonuses)
On higher ground: + 1 / + 1

So Shelob gains + 2 for Flanking (she frequently attempted it), + 1 for Higher Ground (she attempted that constantly) for a + 3 bonus.

I wonder if Shelob being directly above Frodo counted as Invisibility?

I'm far from the rules master that kenobi65 and others are, and I'm sure they'll explain it better, but in order to flank someone you must have any ally working with you. Shelob couldn't flank anyone by herself. Some of the time she might have got a bonus for higher ground, when she climbed up the side of the cleft to loom over Sam, but she wouldn't get higher ground just because she's so tall. She gets a size modifier for that. And when she was directly above Frodo and he didn't see her, that's called "Frodo failed his Spot check".

 

[Patryn of Elvenshae]

Thrown weapons are ranged attacks, and thus use Dex instead of Str on attack rolls (note that most character sheets have one box for melee attack and one for ranged attack). I think I've seen a feat somewhere that lets you use Strength on thrown weapons, though (could be a regional feat in Player's Guide to Faerûn).

Complete Adventurer, called "Brutal Throw."

It pairs well with "Power Throw," which allows you to use Power Attack with thrown weapons.